Case Study: Michigan Caterpillar achieves 40%+ call center cost reduction with Digium's Asterisk solution

Michigan Caterpillar - Customer Case Study

Michigan Caterpillar (Michigan Cat), a $400M dealer with headquarters in Novi and six additional Michigan locations including two call centers, faced an aging 15-year Avaya phone system that offered limited VoIP capability, poor call quality, and mounting costs. CIO Scott McCrea determined the existing infrastructure couldn’t support modern VoIP needs (it handled fewer than 15 IP phones) and began evaluating alternatives to overhaul telephony and IT across nearly 400 phones and seven sites.

The company implemented the open-source Asterisk platform—engineered by John Laffey with network lead Brad Corey—using Cisco switches/routers, SIP trunks and 360 Polycom phones, completing all sites in six months. The Asterisk solution cost about $200K versus an estimated $550K for a full Cisco system, delivered 40–50% carrier cost savings via SIP trunks, simplified operator workflows with a web-based console, and improved call-center reporting and performance through OrderlyStats.

Michigan Caterpillar